18Mar 2024 by catbird No Comments
Spring Equinox Tea Party

Spring Equinox Tea Party

Play, Recipes, Spring, Spring Equinox
Spring always feels like a tea party time of year to me. I'm not sure why, I guess maybe it's a delicate sort of season? I always seem to find myself throwing a tea party this time of year, regardless. (You can find a flower watching tea party in my Spring Equinox book.) It's also one of the best times to eat outside, it's just starting to get warm and sunny afternoons feel like a celebration already. What is interesting to me about this time of year is that none of the typical "spring" foods we associate with this time are actually ripe yet, at least not where I live. The asparagus have not poked up yet, no strawberries, and rhubarb is just starting to unfurl. So how do we…
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05Apr 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
A Basket for Bunnies Made from Trees

A Basket for Bunnies Made from Trees

Craft Project, Foraging, Nature Collection, Play, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
When I was researching spring holidays for my spring book I was particularly intrigued by a German custom wherein children build a nest in a field or garden in which a hare would lay colored eggs for them. This idea came to the America's with German settlers and seems to be the precursor of the modern Easter basket and the rational for rabbits laying eggs. Eggs and hares were both of course ancient symbols of spring and fertility that predate Easter. All of that to say... I love the idea of making secret outdoor nests for a magical hare to leave gifts in!! I started making a proper basket, but I wanted to simplify it so that it was do-able for kids (and frankly adults...) What I ended up with…
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29Mar 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Fast Dyed Natural Easter Eggs

Fast Dyed Natural Easter Eggs

Craft Project, Nature Art, Play, Spring Equinox
I love to make natural dyes and I love to naturally dye easter eggs. When my kids were super little they didn't mind waiting overnight for the eggs to change color, but as they've gotten older and heard the siren song of the grocery store kits, they have lost interest in the natural dye process and requested the tablets more and more. (They usually humor me a little bit anyway...) I stumbled on this method by accident really, when I was making my conventional naturally dyed eggs post I was muttering to myself about how much better turmeric dye bath with alcohol is. I happened to have some already prepared so I tested it out of curiosity. It worked so much better than the water based dye- the color was…
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26Mar 2023 by catbird No Comments
Pond Viewer

Pond Viewer

Craft Project, Earth Day, Learning, Recycled Materials, Spring Equinox
This is a super simple project that makes exploring a pond (or vernal pool) even more exciting. My seven year old could not put this down on the way to the pond-- he was so excited. It uses repurposed materials which is always a nice bonus. It will help you see underwater a little more clearly! Recycled Pond Viewer This just uses a handful of materials that you probably already have and take a few minutes to put together! You don't want to substitute cling film for the freezer bag-- it won't hold up to the water pressure. To use the viewer push it below the water level and try and stay as still as possible. Eventually creatures will feel comfortable swimming under your viewer! Materials: half gallon milk or…
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22Mar 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Recycled Can Garden Markers

Recycled Can Garden Markers

Craft Project, Earth Day, Garden, Recycled Materials, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice
Here is a fun and easy way to make plant markers for your garden out of recycled materials. I use really utilitarian markers for the most part, but my kids always want to make some for their garden and I have been trying to think of a way to make markers that are both beautiful to look at and simple to make. These check all the boxes, they are simple enough for kids to make, they look amazing--almost like enamel I think--and they use repurposed seltzer cans. Kids don't need to be able to write letters to make them, although they work with words as well. (You just have to write them backwards... more on that below.) This is a great project for early spring when there is lots of…
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16Mar 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Botanical Cascarilla Cascarones

Botanical Cascarilla Cascarones

Craft Project, Garden, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
There used to be a lady in my neighborhood who made hundreds of cascarones every year for the neighborhood egg hunt. I have no idea how she pulled it off-- but it was always magical. She retired and moved away and while I’m not ready to take up the charge for the whole neighborhood I knew I wanted to make some for Spring Equinox and take them to the next level. Eggs are a classic symbol is spring— they start out hard and lifeless as a rock, then almost without warning they burst open with life. There is a clear parallel to winter, dead and gray and then suddenly there is green popping up everywhere and life explodes. These eggs are dyed with cabbage (blue) and turmeric and cabbage (green)…
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25Feb 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Dying Eggs with Natural Materials

Dying Eggs with Natural Materials

Craft Project, Foraging, Nature Art, Play, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Eggs are a classic symbol of spring, while they seem fairly ordinary to us these days, they must have felt magical to ancient people. One minute they look like a cold and lifeless rock, the next they explode with life. It's exactly what the landscape if doing, one minute its winter, cold and dead, and then suddenly new life begins cropping up everywhere. Traditions around decorating and dying eggs substantially predate the easter eggs we now think of. It's a perfect way to celebrate the Spring Equinox. There is always a rash of natural egg dying posts this time of year, but I feel like they often fail to really explain the difference between natural and chemical dying. With those grocery store kits you can pop an egg into dye…
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25Feb 2023 by catbird 2 Comments
Spring Ephemerals Hike

Spring Ephemerals Hike

Foraging, Hike Ideas, Nature Journaling, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Spring ephemerals are one of the most exciting treasures to hunt for in the early spring. They are short lived woodland flowers that live their entire lives in the early spring before the trees leaf out. They sprout, bloom and set seed all between snowmelt and when the forest canopy shades them out. Their dainty appearance and short life may make them appear delicate, but these plants are tough. Spring ephemerals have all kinds of interesting adaptations and collaborations with other members of their communities to help them survive in such a harsh environment. Because soil temperatures are low this time of year, water and nutrient uptake is more challenging. Many spring ephemerals have developed relationships with mycorrhiza in order to get the water and nutrients they need. Their environment is…
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25Feb 2023 by catbird 1 Comment
Moss Gardening

Moss Gardening

Garden, Nature Collection, Spring Equinox, Spring Portfolio
Moss is one of my favorite signs of spring- its some of the first real green we see. It's always there, it doesn't die back like herbaceous plants, but warmer temperatures and spring rains seem to make it come to life in the spring. Moss is a fascinating ancient organism. It belongs to a group of plants called bryophytes, which are non-vascular and flowerless. Non-vascular means that they lack the channels that other plants have to transport water and nutrients to various parts of the plants. They are small and form dense clumps or mats, often in damp or shady places. The leaves are only one cell thick. The first plant on earth, moss began to grow on land 470 million years ago. It absorbs carbon dioxide from the air…
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